


We're no Strangers to Love

by ghostmaya



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Langst, Minor Allura/Romelle (Voltron), One-Sided Allura/Lance (Voltron), POV Lance (Voltron), Unrequited, Violinist Lance (Voltron), oversoundvoltronzine, they're in a string quartet, this is the second unrequited allurance fic ive written why do i do this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 07:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17361341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostmaya/pseuds/ghostmaya
Summary: Lance sighed. “It’s just…” Pidge was going to beat his ass so hard if she found out this was about Allura. “I’ve never been in a performance where other people rely on me.”♪It's the day of the competition, and Lance isn't ready. He has about an hour to get his shit together, which includes talking to Allura.





	We're no Strangers to Love

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for [Oversound - A Voltron Musical Zine](https://oversoundvoltronzine.tumblr.com/) (I was in the band booklet)! Go check it out, there're so many talented people who contributed!
> 
> You should look up the title, it's from a great song ;)

Lance stared at his violin case, adorned with stickers that he'd collected over the years, and felt a stone lodge itself into his throat. He sunk into his coat, dread coiling into the depths of his stomach. The front door was only two feet away, but he couldn’t manage to take a step forward.

He took out his phone to check the time; it was an hour to the competition. The rest of the group wanted to meet at the hall now. Keith, Shiro and Hunk were definitely already there, dressed and in full performance mode, and Allura was probably effortlessly beautiful as per usual. 

He still hadn’t talked to her since the incident, which he wasn’t willing to think about at the moment. Hunk was going to give him so much shit for this. 

The screen in his hand lit up with Pidge’s caller contact. He took in a shaky breath and answered the phone. 

“Oh, hi Pidge!” said Lance, pretending to not know exactly why she was calling, “What is  _ happening _ ? What is the scoop from the Holt family household? How’s Colleen been?”

“Mom’s great actually,” said Pidge, playing along. “How have  _ you _ been? Anything happening in your life? Forgotten about anything important lately?”

“Nope! Not that I can think of.”   


“Are you  _ sure _ ?”

“Yep!”

“One hundred percent positive?”   


“I’d say even more than that actually.”

“Not even that you’re picking up your friend, uh, Pidge Holt, in, hm, ten minutes ago?”

Lance shut his eyes and looked to the ceiling. He took a slow breath in and out. “Oh yeah! Honestly, that really slipped my mind, wow. Look how time flies. I’ll be there in five.”

“See you, you awful person.”

Five minutes later he pulled into Pidge’s driveway. She was sitting on her porch with her camera equipment next to her. As soon as Lance unlocked the door the equipment went flying into the back, and Pidge was in the front seat.

Lance backed out of the driveway, his leg bouncing involuntarily.

“Jeez, I don’t I’ve ever seen you this nervous for a performance before,” said Pidge, “Why’s this one got your panties in a twist?”

He scoffed unconvincingly. “What’re you talking about? I’m fine.”

“And I’m tall,” deadpanned Pidge. “You better get your shit together before the show.”

“I know…” He rubbed his finger up and down the steering wheel, and hit the right turn signal with his other hand. “I will.”

He made the turn in silence. He could feel Pidge’s skeptic glare melt a hole right through his faux confidence. 

He sighed. “It’s just…” Pidge was going to beat his ass so hard if she found out this was about Allura. “I’ve never been in a performance where other people rely on me.”

“Ugh, not this again. Just go out there and have fun. These are literally your best friends - even if you fuck up, it’s not like they’ll hate you for the rest of your life. Don’t let that be the thing you’re worrying about.” 

He nodded, his stomach dropping to the ground, and pulled into the parking lot. If only his issue was the same one he had at the beginning of semester.

* * *

 

“Okay guys let’s try that again. On eight,” said Shiro, shuffling around his sheet music. 

Lance repositioned himself on his chair, and squeezed his chin down onto the chin-rest harder than necessary. He had a foot of space on either side between Keith and Hunk, which wasn’t nearly enough room to play the violin freely like he usually did. 

He just joined the string quartet a couple of weeks ago, and he was way behind everyone else who started last semester. The fact that they had to be ready for a competition in March seemed both impossible and like it couldn’t be farther away. 

Allura started the piece, playing the same four notes on her cello for a few bars before the rest of the quartet came in. Lance followed along his own sheet as Allura played, positioning himself for his part. His calloused fingers pressed down on the string as he brought his bow down, accenting Keith’s quick and sharp melody. 

As the piece crescendoed, Lance could feel the music flowing through his body. Even though he was the second violin, he could imagine himself playing his part alone on a stage, the audience mesmerized by his impressive technique and the story he told through the music.

They finished the piece and he brought his violin onto his lap. Everyone else was looking at Shiro, and Lance’s stomach dropped. He’d forgotten to listen again.

“Great, guys! That was much better than last time. But, Lance -” Lance looked at Shiro, his heart beating ten times faster than normal. “I need you to listen to everyone else more, okay? Especially Keith, since he’s the one leading.”

Lance glanced over to Keith, who was yawning into his hand. He waved his hand towards Shiro and said, “Yeah, yeah, we need to be in sync, blah blah blah. I know how string quartets work.” 

“I know you know, but your violin is still standing out when it isn’t supposed to.”

Lance looked into his lap. His heart was pounding, and his ears were still ringing from the music. “Sorry guys. I really am trying to do this whole quartet thing, it’ll just take a bit of getting used to, okay?”

“Well, duh,” said Hunk, pointing his bow at Lance, “Shiro knows you aren’t trying to sabotage us or anything, right Shiro?”

“I’m not so used to being in the role of conductor yet either,” said Shiro. Lance glanced to where Shiro’s right arm used to be and winced. “If I’m ever being too harsh, or you guys feel like I’m going about this the wrong way, make sure to let me know, alright?”

“Shiro, it’s okay! You literally did nothing wrong! This is for a competition so I need the constructive criticism man, don’t let my feelings get in the way of making sure we sound good, got it?” Lance felt sweat rolling down his forehead. He could feel the eyes of the three others on him.

Shiro smiled. “Glad we’re on the same page then. Alright guys, one last time from the top and then we’ll wrap up.”

* * *

 

“Alright nerds, who’s up for a pre-show video because I’m bored as fuck and finished setting up everything,” said Pidge, already holding up her camera to record. 

Lance and the rest of the group were huddled in the crowded room backstage. It smelled like wood, rosin and sweat. 

“Depends. What does this video entail?” asked Hunk. 

“I dunno, I didn’t think that far. How about you all tell me why you play your instrument or something?”

“Oo I like that idea!” said Allura, “Can I go first?”

Lance pursed his lips and stared at the ground. He’d almost forgotten she was here.

“You got it,” said Pidge, propping the camera up on her shoulder. “And rolling!”

“Well, as I was growing up my parents forced me to play the classical piano, and I absolutely despised it. I hated sitting in one place for a long time, which of course was the requirement needed to play piano properly, and, well you can imagine how that turned out.

So in high school, I, being the rebellious child that I was decided to take up the double bass and join the jazz band.” Allura stuck her pointer finger into the air dramatically. “‘But Allura’, you may be thinking, ‘you play the cello, not the double bass’. Well, my friends, do you see these?” Allura held out her hands. “My hands aren’t exactly the  _ largest _ things in the world, so you can imagine the struggle I had with the double bass. Cello seemed like next best thing, so I opted to take that up instead! And here I am!”

The twisting sick feeling engulfed Lance as he continued staring at the ground. He really hoped nobody noticed. 

“And cut!”

* * *

 

“You guys go on without me, I’m just going to stay back a bit,” said Lance, waving everyone away after just finishing their fifth rehearsal. 

“Actually,” said Allura, loosening her bow, “I was going stay after and do a bit of homework.”

“Oh.” Lance squared up his shoulders, pouted his lips and batted his eyelashes at the ground, “Well, I  _ was _ just going to work on my pieces a bit, but I can always do it at home. Wouldn’t want to ruin your study session or anything.”

“Sly, buddy,” snickered Hunk. Lance shot him the stink eye and he backed out the door without another word.

“You and Hunk are childhood friends, right?” Allura asked as she took out her laptop. 

Allura was the only one in the quartet that Lance didn’t know prior to his first rehearsal. She was in the quartet last semester, but he never got to meet her until he joined. 

“Yeah, our moms went to the same ‘Mommy and Me’ program with our older siblings, became best friends, and bam, family friends for life.”

Allura hummed as a response, already typing away. She was wearing her dyed white hair in a neatly tied bun, and she tilted her head forward, a strand coming loose. It framed her face beautifully, glowing from the light of her computer. Heat rushed to Lance’s cheeks when he realized he was staring, and he fumbled to get out his sheet music. 

He glanced back to Allura, who was still in the same position. He had wanted to practice one of the pieces he was less familiar with, but since Allura was here, he was going to have to give her a show. 

He brought his violin up onto his shoulder, the familiar burn his neck had from holding it up pumping energy through his arms to the tips of his fingers. 

The piece started fast, and he was going to own it. 

He loved the story that went along with it. It was about a young boy growing up in a small rural town, who loved horseback riding. He and his horse won race after race together, the boy felt like he could conquer the world. As the piece slowed, the horse grew old, just as the boy reached his prime. They had an amazing bond, but there was nothing to be done. 

A deep, resounding harmony joined Lance’s. He took his eyes off of the violin for a moment, to see Allura and her cello playing beside him. The story took a turn that had never existed before. He saw something new, it wasn’t just the boy now, the horse had a role too. 

Usually, the horse died, and the piece ended on a sad note. This time, the horse and boy had a connection deeper then Lance could have ever imagined. The horse still died, but this time, the boy was able to move on.

The piece concluded, and Lance slowly took the violin off his shoulder, still not fully processing what just happened. “Wow.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I joined in, I absolutely adore that piece and I couldn’t help myself.”

“Are you kidding me! That was probably the best I’ve  _ ever _ played that piece before.”

“Really? Well, in that case I’m glad I could be a part of it.” 

The setting sun’s rays landed perfectly on Allura, almost making her glow. Her white hair looked golden, and her smile shined brightly. If he wanted to ask her out, now was the perfect time. 

“Do you wanna go out sometime?” He held his breath, hoping that Allura didn’t notice his burning face. 

“Oh…” said Allura, lowering her head. Lance’s stomach dropped to the ground. She looked down, refusing to make eye-contact with him. “That’s very sweet of you, but I don’t like you that way. I’m sorry.” 

Lance wanted to throw up. His heart ached and his throat closed off and it took a lot to keep himself from crying.

“Okay. And please don’t apologize for that. You aren’t obligated to like me.” His heartbeat coursed through his body, engulfing him, numbing him. He swallowed nothing down his dry throat. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten rejected by a long shot, but of all the times, this was the worst. He hadn’t realized how  _ much _ he liked her.  

“Okay.” 

Lance didn’t - couldn’t - answer. Instead, he nodded and packed up his stuff. 

The next couple of rehearsals were sure going to be fun. 

* * *

 

“I can go next if you want,” said Keith.

“Really? That’s unexpected,” said Pidge as she positioned her camera.

“I know you guys would pressure me to do it anyways, so might as well get it over with.”

“You better make it somewhat interesting,” said Pidge, squinting her eyes at him. “And we rolling!”

“I uh - okay. So I guess it started around when my parents died, and Shiro said that I should take up a hobby. He was playing violin, so I did too. He taught me how to play and music theory, and I really liked music theory because it’s like math. You can apply it to the instrument and make it your own, which I really took a liking to I guess. I wasn’t actually good at playing at first, until I got an actual teacher - no offence Shiro -”

“None taken,” Shiro piped in.

“- And I got really good and a lot of my friends were interested in the same thing so I never lost interest, and yeah. That’s it.”

“And cut.” said Pidge.

“Aw, Keith that’s such a meaningful story,” said Hunk, “Mine’s literally so boring.”

“Rolling!” said Pidge, pointing the camera at Hunk.

“Wh - Pidge! I didn’t say I was ready yet!”

“Sucks to suck.”   


“Alright, alright, I’ll go. So my parents, like many others, forced me to pick an instrument as a kid. I, of course, decided I wanted to play an instrument nobody else in the family played, and if you didn’t know I have a  _ pretty _ big family, so that proved to be a difficult task. Turns out nobody played the viola because they’re all  _ cowards _ , so I decided to take up the mantle. One day I swear - I will earn the respect of the other musicians and I will climb to the top! No more being the subject of mockery, but the subject of worship!”

“Alright,” said Pidge, putting down her camera. “Thank you for your time, moving on.”

* * *

 

When Keith and Hunk asked Lance to stay back with just the two of them to practice after their seventh rehearsal, he didn’t think much of it. That all changed the moment Shiro shut the door behind him, and Hunk started glaring.

“Oh no…” 

“Have a seat, Lance,” said Hunk, gesturing to Lance’s chair. 

“What’s going on guys?” he said, pretending to not know exactly what was going on.

“We’re going to practice the piece, just like we said we were going to,” said Keith, sitting down next to him. He watched Keith tune his violin quickly - sharply - towards Lance. 

Hunk was also in his seat next to Lance, fiddling with his viola. Lance glanced to Allura’s empty seat, and bit his lip. 

“Relax Lance,” said Hunk. “It’s just a rehearsal.”

Except it wasn’t. Because Allura wasn’t there. 

Keith started playing without warning. He was the second part to come in usually, but he made it sound like he was meant to go first. He was going without mercy, and there was no way Lance was backing down from it. 

He started playing, his speed matching Keith’s with sharp accuracy, along with Hunk’s slower harmony that balanced the two of them out. The first part of the piece was supposed to feel urgent, but as they played it gained a new meaning. It became a competition - a race. 

Hunk’s part started speeding up, approaching Lance and Keith with remarkable determination. The earthy tones his viola produced sounded sharp and clear, an oncoming threat and clear contrast to Lance’s fleeting harmony, hopping and flowing swiftly like a fast and steady stream. 

Keith and Lance’s parts switched roles for a moment; Lance playing the melody, and Keith played his the harmony. Keith's harmony yelled ‘listen to me!’, taking lead in the race. 

So, Lance started listening, and in that moment he realized that he’d had his eyes closed the entire race. 

There were three colours: red, blue and yellow. They swirled around each other in a dangerous dance, intertwining beautifully, crashing into each other to create shades of purples, greens and oranges.

A crescendo shot Hunk’s yellow stream flying above Keith and Lance, an array of sunlight filling Lance’s ears with a flavour of sweet tarts. Lance had no intention of losing this race, so he went harder than ever before. Keith seemed to have the same idea, and soon the three of them were neck and neck, the push and pull of the two harmonies circling the melody in an orbit, chasing after each other, edging each other towards the finish. 

The three of them burst through the finale, an explosion of harmonious colour pounding out the final note in triumph. 

Lance was breathing heavily, his heart pounding. He hadn’t realized how much he put into it. 

The other two were in more or less the same shape.

They didn’t say anything. Keith started packing up, and Lance sat there unmoving. 

“Lance.” Keith was standing by the door, his arms crossed. Lance raised his eyebrows, waiting for whatever Keith had to say this time. “You’re an extremely talented violinist.”

Lance sputtered. “Uh - thank you? You too man -”

“I’m not done yet.” He uncrossed his arms, and looked right in Lance’s eye. “I know that whatever is going on with you and Allura can’t be magically fixed, but  _ please _ don’t let it get it in the way your performance. The competition is in two weeks.”

“You gotta get your shit together dude,” Hunk added on. “We all know that you can do better man - like  _ holy crap _ I don’t know if you realized how  _ amazing _ you were just now but it’s definitely  _ not _ what we’ve been seeing in rehearsals lately.”

Lance chewed on his lip. They were right, of course. He was letting his emotions get in front of what was good for the group, and that wasn’t fair to himself or to the rest of them. 

“Thanks guys. And I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to get my ass in gear,” he chuckled, finally standing from his seat. “See you next week.”

* * *

 

“I guess I’ll go next,” said Lance. 

Pidge gave him a thumbs up from behind the camera.

“Basically, I’m the same as Hunk, but all my older siblings played guitar, piano, or nothing and I thought playing a violin was unique. Of course, I was deadly wrong, seeing as it’s the second most common instrument parents make their kids learn. Nevertheless, I was determined, got good, and here I am now!” 

“The competition is beginning in five minutes,” a woman’s voice announced from the speaker. 

“Oh jeez,” whispered Lance. They were going after intermission, but his stomach flipped anyways. 

“Oh jeez is right,” said Pidge, “Unlike the rest of you I actually have to be out there so  _ gotta split _ . Oh! Shiro - I didn’t get you yet so I’ll meet you back here during intermission.”

Before they knew it, Pidge was out the door, sprinting to the auditorium. 

“Lance,” whispered Hunk.

“What!” yelped Lance, and continued his genuine shock with: “Who! Where! How!”

“Come with me,” he said, looking around dramatically, “I need to talk with you.”

“Uh, okay.”

The two of them walked to the other side of the room. 

“Did you talk to Allura?”

“It’s possible,” said Lance in his ‘no I did not’ voice.

“Lance, oh my god.”

“Even if I didn’t I’ll still be fine to perform!”

“I can literally  _ smell _ your anxiety right now dude!” Hunk glanced over Lance’s shoulder and Lance turned to see Shiro approaching them. “Okay, that’s my cue to go.”

“What! You can’t just leave me here alone!” 

Hunk didn’t bother answering, hopping over the crowd of people to leave Lance stranded. Lance groaned, his entire body feeling ten pounds heavier than normal. “Hey Shiro.”

“Here, let’s sit down.” Shiro gestured to an empty spot in the corner. Lance followed Shiro onto the cool floor, unsure of what to do with his hands.

“Shiro, I’m sorry,” Lance blurted, refusing to make eye-contact. “I know I’m basically your replacement and now I’m going to fuck up.”

Shiro sighed, which was never a good sign. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but as it stands right now - yeah. You’re going to fuck up.” 

Lance looked to the floor, the bags under his eyes weighing his head down. 

“I was in your situation once,” said Shiro.

“No you weren’t.”

“Okay, so I wasn’t in your  _ exact  _ situation, but I have dealt with unrequited love before. It’s rough.”

Lance didn’t say anything, tracing the lines on the floor in his mind. 

“Being gay in a small town isn’t the easiest thing you know. I didn’t even know how to  _ talk _ to the people I was crushing on, let alone confess.”

Lance rubbed his thumbs together, and looked up at Shiro.

“I just… I don’t even know what the  _ issue _ is here. I didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think, and Allura definitely didn’t do anything wrong, so why am I still so awkward around her?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not a question I can answer. You’re going to have to figure that out, most likely  _ with _ Allura.” Shiro glanced over to the clock displayed on the television. “And you have around twenty minutes to do it. Good luck.” 

* * *

 

Approaching Allura was harder than it looked. 

She was talking with her friend from another school, and they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. Lance could imagine him in the girl’s place, laughing with Allura about something dumb he did, not caring about their performance coming up in less than forty minutes. 

Before he could stop himself, he walked towards them. As soon as Allura saw him, he immediately regretted all of his decisions, but there was no turning back now. He had to do it. 

“Hey Allura!”

“Oh hello Lance! Have I introduced you to my girlfriend, Romelle?” 

Lance’s heart skipped a beat. Was Allura dating her when he asked her out? Is that why she turned him down? Was Allura a lesbian, but just didn’t say anything to avoid further conflict? He could have sworn she mentioned being bisexual but maybe he was remembering wrong. 

“You’re the second violin right? Allura mentioned you to me,” said Romelle, smiling.

“Yup, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Romelle and I have been seeing each other for just a couple of weeks now. In fact it happened because we realized we’d be seeing each other at this competition,” said Allura, somehow reading Lance’s mind. 

“I’m really sorry, but I actually needed to talk to Allura alone for a minute, if you don’t mind,” said Lance, his heart pounding in his ears. 

“I guess that makes sense since we  _ are _ competitors, just don’t keep her away  _ too _ long.” She winked playfully and disappeared into the crowd. 

“Right. So. Talking. Yes,” said Lance.

“Is this about why you’ve been so awkward around me lately?”

So she had noticed. Great. 

He sighed, feeling slightly relieved, and extremely tired. “Yeah…”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Well I don’t think I have a choice in the matter now,” he smiled sadly, trying and failing to make this less awkward. 

“I suppose not…” she echoed. “I just can’t understand what could be the issue between us, but there obviously is one.”

“I know! That’s exactly what I said!” He groaned and looked at the ceiling. “I guess… some things are just irrational. There’s not always a clear answer to things like you hope there is.”

“That may be true… but do you think you could go out on stage right now and give a performance like you would if I wasn’t there?” 

“I- I don’t know. Maybe? Probably? Probably not…”

“Well maybe that’s your issue. Stop relying on an outside force that’s keeping you from performing at your best, and actually take initiative.”

Lance blinked. It couldn’t be that simple, could it? 

“Lance, look at me. I need to tell you something.” Lance looked at her, her perfectly done makeup highlighting the seriousness shining through her eyes. “I think that you’ll be great out there.”

She was dead serious. No smile cracked through, nothing. 

This was his own irrational fear taking charge of him. Nothing more. He wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but it felt  _ so good _ when Allura told him that. Allura, the person who has witnessed him fuck up rehearsal after rehearsal for weeks on end. 

Lance smiled, and it felt so good. “Can I hug you?”

“Of course you can!” she said with a smile. The two of them wrapped their arms around each other, and it felt so good. Lance was the perfect height to rest his chin on her shoulder, so he did, closing his eyes. Her hair smelled like freshly picked berries. His mouth was at a tug of war between a frown and a smile, and tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

“I really do genuinely believe what I said,” said Allura in his ear, “You’re an incredibly talented artist, and I can tell that you shine the brightest under the spotlight. Even if you hadn’t come to talk to me I think you would’ve pulled through somehow.” 

They let go of each other. Lance felt warm and fuzzy inside, and he couldn’t stop smiling. “Thank you. And I don’t think I ever told you how amazing and talented I think you are too, because you  _ are. _ ” 

“Are you two done yet,” said Romelle from behind him, scaring the pants off of Lance.

Allura looked at Lance to give the okay. 

“Yup! All good here!” he said, still look at Allura, and meaning every word.

* * *

 

“Okay Shiro! You ready?” asked Pidge.

“Yup.”

“And action!”

“I want you to listen very closely to me. All violinists are gay. I don’t make the rules.” He chuckled. “Actually though, I don’t even think I can remember what drew me to the violin, I’ve been playing it for so long. I really miss it - but I’m glad that I get to be the conductor for my friends! I learned a lot about myself and my limitations. I hope that if anyone is watching these you know that the hurdles you have to jump over make you better, be it physical, mental, emotional - ”

“Shiro, we’re on next,” Allura whispered.

“Okay, everyone in the camera!” said Shiro.

The four of them clambered behind the camera with him. Lance squished between Hunk and Allura. They all put their arms around each other, and Lance couldn’t stop grinning.

“Okay, say ‘We gonna CRUSH IT’ on three,” said Pidge. “One, two, three!”

“WE GONNA CRUSH IT,” screamed Lance along with everyone else. 

He never felt more ready for anything in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](https://ghost-maya.tumblr.com/)


End file.
